Sunday, November 15, 2015

Anything but Broken (Hurricane Creek #1) by Joelle Knox

After five years, tragedy brings Hannah Casey back to Hurricane Creek to bury what’s left of her family. She’s flunking out of college, haunted by scandal, and the only person who cares is Sean Whitlow, an irresistible bad boy with a soft spot for her. The problem? He’s her dead sister’s ex.Sean doesn’t bleed red, he bleeds motor oil. During the week, he struggles to turn his auto repair shop into a profitable business. But when Saturday night rolls around, he’s the reigning stock-car king of the local race track. He doesn’t know how to lose–or how to walk away and leave Hannah alone with her grief.Between her grades and her wealthy family’s dark secrets, Hannah’s barely holding her life together. And the last thing Sean needs is to get tangled up with another Casey girl. As the attraction between them spins out of control, they’ll either find a love with no limits–or go up in flames.

I couldn't really made up my mind regarding to my liking to this story. It's not hat I hate it but I don't particularly love it either.

There are a few things... err... maybe a lot of things that I guess a little too much in this story, whether it's too coincidence or way too forced. For example, why is Hannah met Sean, I understand that it is a small city, but there must be some other people, right?

And it's not that there were attraction between them anyway... from Hannah sure, that he's her first crush, but it only looks like that Hannah threw herself his way and he's without thinking just accept. It's not that they have previous history together, it's with her sister, Sean has history, a completely different person, and his best friend, Gibb, came on judging her already?
While she didn't seem do anything when it was 5 years before.

I don't want to be cold hearted and being not understanding of her problem or sadness or disappointment or whatever she's in with the whole situation of her family, but it looks like that she didn't do anything to change the situation either... She just accepted but in the end complaining of her miserable life she thought she's in.

She complained of being forced to do what she didn't happy with but second her father died and her mother's in a comma, she become rebellious. Rebel to whom? Punishing her mother, who's in a comma, to a revenge? Seems immature to me and useless too.

I don't know what happened to her grandmother, maybe I missed it and I might also "missed" what was her grandmother wrong... that made her also seems not happy with her grandmother.

And then what's with her with being so secretive?

I don't know if Sean understood the situation of Hannah that I assume being a virgin or just didn't really care, but I don't get the idea why Hannah didn't come clean and Sean acknowledged the fact. I knew Hannah is being careful, a bit worry of pregnancy and have a story to hide, but ignorance from Sean of the reason why Hannah seemed not ready to have sex with him, just made them lack of chemistry or feeling to each other.

The story ends with Hannah's decision to stay living in Hurricane Creek despite of she lost her heritage to her parents' debt. Just like that she quit her education because she didn't like it, even though she's on a scholarship for that. Since she didn't have money anymore, she's got herself a job and started a new study. And then she and Sean become a couple after solving a misunderstanding between them.